connectionism
nounUK /kəˈnekʃənɪzəm/
US /kəˈnekʃənɪzəm/
A way of building smart computer programs by linking many tiny parts together, like a big web of brain cells.
Connectionism helps computers learn to recognize pictures by connecting lots of simple units.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A theory in psychology that says the mind works through connections between simple ideas.
Early psychologists used connectionism to explain how memories link together.
3. An approach in philosophy of mind that models thinking as networks of interconnected units.
Connectionism offers an alternative to the idea that the mind is like a single program.
4. In education, the idea that learning happens by forming links between concepts.
Teachers who believe in connectionism help students connect new facts to what they already know.